YOUR SOURCE FOR TRUTH

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Pennies for pupils: Arizona school spending again ranks near bottom of states

TOP: Spending on students in Arizona schools continues to lag far behind
national averages, and state spending is now falling as U.S. spending is
inching up, according to a Census Bureau report. Click on the chart
above for details. (Cronkite News graphic)BOTTOM: Arizona spending per pupil continues to lag well behind the national
average, and it is falling while the U.S. numbers are rising, according
to a new Census report. (Photo courtesy U.S. Census Bureau)

By JAMIE COCHRANCronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona continued to be among the lowest states in the
nation for per pupil school spending, and its expenditures were falling
while the rest of the nation’s were rising, the Census Bureau said.

A bureau report released Tuesday said Arizona spent $7,208 per
student in fiscal 2013, well below the national average of $10,700, and
49th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The report
also said the state’s spending rate had fallen for a third straight
year, from $7,848 per student in fiscal 2010, a drop of just under 8.2
percent in that period.

Education advocates said they were not surprised at the state’s poor standing.“We’ve had low education spending for a long time, so it’s not
surprising that we’re at the bottom here,” said Dan Hunting, a senior
policy analyst at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

He called the latest spending cuts “just a continuation of really a
decades-long trend” that has left Arizona well behind other states.

“Our per pupil funding is 31 percent below the national average. So
we’re not just a little bit below, we’re a lot below the national
average,” Hunting said.

The state ranked poorly in several measures in the report. Arizona
was third-lowest in school spending per $1,000 of state residents’
personal income, and it was fourth-highest for the percentage decrease
over a five-year period, during which only 11 states saw spending drop.

While Arizona’s spending was lower than most states, the Census
Bureau said Arizona was one of the biggest beneficiaries of federal
school support, getting 14.6 percent of its school budget from
Washington. That was the fifth-highest percentage in the country.

Calls seeking comment from Gov. Doug Ducey and from leaders of the
legislative education committees were not immediately returned
Wednesday.

Education advocate said the schools are doing the best with what they’ve got.“For what we are given and how we have to get the money to do our
jobs, I think our teachers and administrators are doing a very good
job,” said Ralph Quintana, president Arizona Federation of Teachers.

“It’s certainly not something that we believe provides school
districts with adequate resources to be successful,” Essigs said.“I
think our Arizona schools do well with the resources they have, but it’s
very difficult to compete with other states when your funding is so
minimal,” he said.

Programs like full-day kindergarten, student success funding, and
nearly all capital funding are being cut because of budget issues,
according to the Arizona School Boards Association.

Hunting thinks it would take billions for the state to get up to the
national per pupil spending average, but he believes funding will
continue to decrease, at least in the immediate future.

“That’s a pretty big hill to climb,” Hunting said. “It will be a long time before Arizona is at the average per pupil spending.”

It’s not breaking news that funding is a major issue in Arizona, said Charles Tack, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Education.
He said more reports seem to be coming out saying, “Our schools are
being asked to do more with less than schools across the country.”

“There is a lot of work to be done,” Tack said. “Funding is one of the issues, it’s certainly not the only issue.”

But funding would go a long way to help local schools focus on the needs of their students, he said.

“We want to take responsibility for our education system,” Tack said.
“We want to lead our education system, to make it the best in the
country for our students.”

A course in school finance

The top and bottom states for per pupil spending in fiscal 2013, according to the Census Bureau, and the national average.

Top 5:– New York, $19,818– Alaska, $18,175– District of Columbia, $17,953– New Jersey, $17,572– Connecticut, $16,631

HELP END PET HOMELESSNESS

Just $25, and best of all, $17 from the sale of each plate will fund spay and neuter services for dogs and cats across Arizona. Click ad to order now at www.azpetplates.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO ADVERTISE ON OUR BLOG

The above are paid ads. To place yours for just $25/month, call Jim Keyworth at (928) 474-8787 or e-mail peoplesgazette@gmail.com. Banner ads are also available across the bottom and top of the blog.

(The Rim Country Gazette Blog is currently averaging over 5,000 visits per month. Our readership survey shows Gazette readers are better educated and more affluent than the average newspaper reader. Gazette Blog ads reach the people most likely to vote and to use your services and products.)